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Friday, February 28, 2014

Are all Peanut Butters Created Equal!? :/

My friend Christy accused me of being a lower class Peanut Butter consumer with my jars of Jiff, but I think she is just a Peanut Butter snob ... after all, Choosey mothers choose Jiff, ... RIGHT!? :/ So after this Peanut Butter challenge, I decided to do some further investigation into this very serious topic and see what I would come up with myself !!! After comparing the Kroger brand, Jif and the MaraNatha brands, I find that the nutritionals are really just about the same, along with the ingredients. However, that being said, I did find that the MaraNatha brand did boast of its Velvety Creaminess and I would have to agree that it does have a little velvet in the mix, ... but flavor wise I found them all to be about the same. The other thing with MaraNatha is the price, I had to take out a loan at the check out counter to pay for it~ and after my down payment on the 6.49 bottle of creamed nuts they let me take it home ... I still have a couple payments to go to before it is paid off ... BUT SERIOUSLY !!! :0 Peanut Butter can be pricey, but that stuff is really up there. And so the argument goes on what is really necessary to buy Organic and what is not~ and that topic wont be solved on this blog :/ Anyhoo, my conclusion is that it all tastes about the same, and so comparable in ingredients, protein, carbs, and fat that it is really just up to the consumer as to what they feel most comfortable smearing next to their jelly. ;) PS For those really health conscience people out there, give the PB2 a whirlie, its a great substitute for full fat peanut butter, and works great in recipes as well. Enjoy ;)

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE :

My friend, Dr.Christiane Smith MD of Family Physicians of Kansas, has pointed out that the store brand of Peanut Butter as well as Jif have Hydrogenated Oils in them. As we know these ingredients are toxic to the Cardiovascular system and should be avoided like the plague ! You can check out an article www.livestrong.com/article/272066-why-is-hydrogented-oil-bad-for-you/ for further documentation of the effects on our bodies. So I take back all I said about the Peanut Butters being equal ... and I just made my last payment on my new favorite Organic brand of MaraNatha ;)

4 comments:

My friend, Dr.Christiane Smith MD of Family Physicians of Kansas, has pointed out that the store brand of Peanut Butter as well as Jif have Hydrogenated Oils in them. As we know these ingredients are toxic to the Cardiovascular system and should be avoided like the plague ! You can check out an article www.livestrong.com/article/272066-why-is-hydrogented-oil-bad-for-you/ for further documentation of the effects on our bodies. So I take back all I said about the Peanut Butters being equal ... and I just made my last payment on my new favorite Organic brand of MaraNatha ;)

Hydrogenated oils are vegetable oils whose chemical structure has been altered to prevent rancidity in foods, which increases shelf life and saves money for food manufacturers. The process of hydrogenation involves the addition of hydrogen atoms to the oil's available double bonds. As the level of hydrogenation increases, the level of saturated fat increases and the level of unsaturated fat decreases. The hydrogenation process converts what are known as “cis” double bonds to “trans” double bonds. This is where the term “trans fat” originates. Hydrogenation also has the technical advantage of making foods solid or partially solid at room temperature.

Trans fats work against the body in many ways. They increase bad cholesterol --low-density lipoprotein, or LDL -- and decrease good cholesterol -- high-density lipoprotein, or HDL. Furthermore, they block the production of chemicals that combat inflammation and benefit the hormonal and nervous systems, while at the same time allowing chemicals that increase inflammation. This means that trans fats promote inflammation and negatively impact cholesterol levels

Natural health doctor, Stephen Gangemi, contends that hydrogenated fats are “poisonous” and that even small amounts can cause damage to the body, resulting in illness or premature death. Harvard School of Public Health notes that trans fats promote immune system over-activity and inflammation and are linked to heart disease, stroke and diabetes, among other chronic diseases. One 2006 article published in the “New England Journal of Medicine” noted that at that time the average American consumed nearly 5 grams of trans fat per day -- an amount that increases the risk for heart disease by approximately 25 percent.

Avoiding Trans Fats

To avoid hydrogenated oils you must not only ready nutrition facts but also ingredients labels as well. Many foods advertised as “zero grams trans fat” do, in fact, contain trans fat. If the amount is less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving, FDA guidelines allow the manufacturer to list “zero grams trans fat” on the nutrition label. This is where reading ingredients comes in. If the ingredient list contains the words "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated," the food contains trans fat. Foods that often contain trans fats include baked goods, snack foods, deep-fried foods and some margarines